Southwestern U.S. Drought Maps From Pinyon Tree-Ring Isotopes

Drought maps for the southwestern United States are reconstructed from carbon isotope ratios in pinyon tree rings. The dataset covers a 399-year period from 350 to 49 years before present. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information produced and archived this paleoclimate study.

Use Cases

• Analyzing drought severity and frequency over time using reconstructed drought index maps.
• Correlating carbon isotope values from tree rings with historical precipitation records.
• Mapping the spatial extent of past drought events across the southwestern U.S. region.
• Calibrating climate models with proxy data from the 350-49 BP time period.

Strengths

• Data spans a 399-year reconstruction period (350 to 49 BP).
• Provides spatially mapped drought reconstructions for a defined region.
• Archived by the authoritative NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends 49 years BP, lacking recent centuries.
• Geographic scope is limited to the southwestern United States.
• Sample size and underlying tree core count are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Collection Method

Climate reconstruction derived from carbon isotope analysis of pinyon tree rings.

Time Range

350 to 49 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

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Geography

Southwestern United States of America.